Literature

Try your hand at writing a Whitman-style poem. You don’t have to be as long-winded as he was and you certainly don’t have to devote your life to it! But try your hand at using his style of writing a catalog (list) as he did in stanzas 15 and 16 or in the unique style of really any of his stanzas built on a unified theme. Remember some of the stylistic structures noted in this section: Long line lengths Free verse–no rhymes Repetition of patterns (each line usually begins with a type of person and is followed by a verb describing what that person is doing and perhaps other descriptions). Each line ends with a comma rather than a period, marking the unity of the diverse whole. Diversity is emphasized–from young to old, from president to the prostitute. You don’t need to take Whitman’s subject matter–America. Instead think of a place that you know well and that is filled with variety. It could be a school, your workplace, your neighborhood, a sports team. Any group of people. For that matter, it could be a collection of things or ideas–books on your shelf, tv shows in your “library,” or video games on the market. Another great idea might be the variety of reactions people are experiencing during the Pandemic. The options are limitless. Let your creative juices flow. What will make a good poem vs. a mediocre poem? Originality Repetition of pattern (even if it varies a bit from Whitman’s) Punctuation that indicates unity in diversity (commas) Strong word choices that create a picture in the mind’s eye. Striking variety of individuals Enough lines and images to leave a strong impression (20-25). Somehow you’ll need to make sure your reader knows what you’re cataloging!

Essay 2: Documented/Research and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian As stated in your syllabus, Essay 2: Documented/Research and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is worth 250 points or 25% of your total grade. The purpose of Essay 2 is to gain proficiency in the principles of critical analysis and college level writing techniques while employing MLA documentation. In order to exhibit this you will need to: • Critically analyze elements from The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian • Present a critical thesis about The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian and develop it throughout the body using qualified critical sub-points and relevant observations of the human condition • Include a solid introduction (that follows the three step process) • Include a conclusion that does not contain new information but is not overly repetitive • Show critical analysis rather than the reporting of facts in a book-report or narrative type of style. • Adhere to Standard Professional English The elements above are similar to what you needed to do in Essay 1 (except this time the topic will be The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian). In Essay 2, you must also: • Incorporate your own personal experience in order to enhance the discussion of your subject matter. This can be done by using the 1st person appropriately while avoiding an unqualified 2nd person. If you choose to use the 1st person, your experience should be used concisely (usually no more than one paragraph, although you can choose to put 1-2 sentences of your first person experience in several paragraphs of the body); you should not tell your story from beginning to end (that would be a narrative rather than a critical essay). • Incorporate and correctly cite 1-2 outside sources that further qualify your analysis into your paper. Sources must be credible and relate to your specific topic/analysis. In addition to the above, you will need to: • Qualify all of your assertions either by your personal experience or through support by an outside source • Utilize elements of pathos, ethos, and logos and exhibit smooth transitions of thoughts throughout the essay (see lecture notes for more information). • Appropriately cite outside sources according to MLA standards within the text and in your Works Cited page. The sources you choose to support your analysis must be credible. Length requirement: The acceptable length for the Essay 2 is 3-4 pages, using the margin and font requirements as stated in the syllabus. The checklist and Works Cited page should be included but does not count towards the length requirement.

Imagine you are a healthcare professional (doctor, nurse, psychologist, social worker, or other healthcare worker), and you have been appointed to explain the recently diagnosed psychological disorder of one of the main characters in the stories from our textbook, Mental Health in Literature, Literary Lunacy and Lucidity. Select from the following list of stories and settle on a “patient” in the narrative (and his/her family, friends, and/or acquaintances) who need your expert opinion: Theodore Dreiser, “The Lost Phoebe” After analyzing the behavior of the narrator and the characters in your selected story, diagnosis their behaviors and interactions. Then, write a two-three page essay, of at least 750 to 1000 words, with you, the author, (as the doctor, nurse, psychologist, social worker, and/or healthcare advocate) describing and diagnosing the mental and/or physical impairments of the character(s) in your story. Write what you would say to the family, if the main character had one, to explain the individual’s illness, focusing on his/her seemingly bizarre behaviors. You will want to address such questions: What behaviors are troubling and/or self-destructive? Is medication an option? Is the s/he a danger to him/herself or to the family and friends? Will the patient be able to live by his/herself, at home, or in a group home and/or hospital? Will the patient ever get better? If the patient has children, how will the disease affect them? Is the disease genetically or behaviorally inheritable? What is your prognosis for the character and his or her acquaintances and loved ones? Try to remain “in character” for the entire composition, playing the role of the healthcare professional who imaginatively enters the story to assess and even advocate for the characters in the literature. An exemplary essay will be evaluated strongly in terms of content, organization, style, grammar, and MLA format, sufficiently citing key passages, incidents, and descriptions from the literature in our textbook.

Topics: Erotic Truth. Bechdel describes “erotic truth” as “a rather sweeping concept.” What does she mean by erotic truth? Using at least two other texts/films assigned for this class, one of which MUST BE FREUD, LACAN, OR PLATO, write an essay in which you explore the possible meanings of this phrase, “erotic truth” (as Bechdel seems to be using it). Length: 5-7 pages, typed, double-spaced. Citation: Use MLA format. Requirements: Thesis. Your essay must be governed by a thesis that (a) responds directly to the essay topic, (b) is arguable, and (c) is stated at the end of the first paragraph having clearly defined all the central terms. Textual Support. Your thesis must be supported by major interpretive claims (topic sentences) that are supported by at least one appropriate quote or allusion per body paragraph. Your ability to select, interpret, and apply the appropriate textual evidence is key to doing well with the essay. Additionally, you should illustrate your argument with at least one example drawn from your own life, observations, or engagement with other texts, movies, plays, etc. Reasoning. You must consistently use and apply logical reasoning in developing your thesis. Writing.Your essay must be written well. There should be no awkward sentences, rough transitions between paragraphs, incoherent paragraphs, extraneous information/unnecessary sentences, typos, or stylistic errors. Objectives: For this assignment, you will need to demonstrate your ability to apply the ideas in Freud, Plato, and Lacan to analyzing themes, ideas, characters, and actions in the “narrative” texts from the second half of the semester (Antigone, Hamlet, Fun Home, Between the World and Me) The successful paper will: Demonstrate a clear, sophisticated understanding of ideas developed in our analysis of Freud, Lacan, and Plato and be able to appropriately apply those ideas to an analysis of Antigone, Hamlet, Fun Home, and Between the World and Me. Will accurately represent the positions/ideas/themes/actions presented in The Odyssey, Fun Home, and Between the World and Me. Will choose appropriate quotes from Antigone, Hamlet, Fun Home, and Between the World and Me and effectively integrate them into the student’s own argument regarding the topic. Will state and develop a thesis in response to one of the assigned topics.

Reading Assignment Read Donald Barthleme’s “The School.” (Links to an external site.) Be sure to hit ‘more’ at the end of the first selection. Then read Don DeLillo’s “Videotape.”Preview the document As you explore these short stories, consider the following: https://legacy.npr.org/programs/death/readings/stories/bart.html who are the narrators? which characters from previous readings do they most resemble and why? in what ways are the new characters? what comment does each story make about modern American society? how is humor used by Barthelme to critique society? does Barthelme argue more about life and death, or about instructing the next generation? what’s his main target? if Barthelme is using humor to critique, what is DeLillo’s strategy? does DeLillo argue more about life and death, or social behavior (such as voyeurism!)? what’s his main target? which text do you consider the most experimental and why? do you see similarity in Barthelme’s and DeLillo’s use of children? Discussion Questions: The general questions this discussion aims to answer are: what arguments regarding the condition of modern America do these experimental literary texts express? how does the experimental form of each story impact your reading experience? does experimental literature maintain the aesthetics of traditional literature? why or why not? do Barthelme and DeLillo show progress from the disillusionment of the lost generation?

Before you beginning this discussion, be sure to read the Module Notes, Chapter 25: “The Cold War” in The American Yawp. In addition, read the primary source documents Truman Doctrine, NSC-68, and On Communism. Then view this short excerpt from broadcast journalist Edward Murrow’s live speech on Joseph McCarthy on CBS’s See It Now in 1954, and Duck and Cover, a film clip shown throughout the nation to schoolchildren in the 1950s. Using the primary and secondary source materials above as evidence, consider the following in a post of at least 250 words: How did the early Cold War affect everyday Americans’ fears for their own safety and their perceptions of their country’s place in the world? Do you think the US response to the Soviet Union through foreign policy and the hunt for internal communist subversives were based upon real threats, or the products of unnecessary anxieties and paranoia? Why?

ASSIGNMENT: Write an essay of 1,000 words that examines how our American culture differentiates between male and female roles and argues that Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s arguments do or do not hold true for Americans. Use MLA format, include a Works Cited page, and incorporate at least one outside source you find on the internet. BRAINSTORMING: As you read Adichie’s essay, “A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions” (p. 501), note the author’s claim that “the idea of ‘gender roles’ is absolute nonsense.” Consider her examples supporting this claim and how gender roles affect both female and male children. Note Adichie’s argument that toys for girls tend to be passive and toys for boys tend to be active. Is this like assigning boys the color blue and girls the color pink? Furthermore, how do we praise and criticize women differently than men? Explore the way gender roles affect U.S. citizens, pointing out important examples of contrasting female versus male gender roles, and relate your observations to Adichie’s argument. Is the author correct to argue against gender roles here in the United States? RESEARCH: Locate and include at least one outside source from the internet. Your source must be reliable and authoritative (no blogs, personal websites, or other unreliable sources). Choose scholarly sources only, such as a research essay published by a university press or an article published in a reputable venue, such as The New York Times, Psychology Today, or Time. It may help you to use Google Scholar for your web search.

Good Country People” Analysis 1 Choose either the protagonist of the story or the main antagonist and write a 300-500 word CHARACTER ANALYSIS. This is rather short for such round, complex characters, so you will have to focus on one character trait. Your analysis should be structured properly — begin with a thesis and then support that thesis with specific evidence from the text. Construct properly unified and cohesive paragraphs. You do not need an introduction or a conclusion. Use MLA formatting for in-text citations. You need TWO quoted passages with properly formatted in-text citations. Each passage should be no longer than 3 lines of text.

TOPIC: Based on your viewing of “Groundhog Day,” and TWO of the other films of this unit (“Great Gatsby,” “Valley of the Dolls,” “Wall Street,” or “Wolf of Wall Street”) what is the path for the greatest happiness. BACKGROUND. In each of the films of this unit the characters are seeking happiness and trying to find it in a variety of ways, such as money, alcohol, drugs, fame, etc. They find happiness in varying degrees, some may not find it at all. In what ways do they succeed, and in what ways do they fail? What pathways work for them, what don’t? How does Phil Connors compare to these characters in what he finds works for him and what doesn’t. How does his final outcome in the film differ from theirs? As you write your analysis, be sure to include mention of the three key areas of this unit: FILMS. View three of the films of this unit. One of the films must be Groundhog Day, the other two should be selected from Great Gatsby, Valley of the Dolls, Wall Street, and Wolf of Wall Street. LENGTH AND FORMAT. The Developed Response should be a minimum of 3 pages, in MLA format, with a Works Cited page in MLA format.

Below you will find 3 different topics for response paper #2. You will choose ONE of the topics below for your response. For the Jefferson response paper topics, you should use the resources (the video and the PDF containing background info on Jefferson and Hemings’ relationship as well as any other research you may do on your own). If you do choose to use an outside resource, make sure you are citing your outside source correctly and clearly and that you are enclosing any language that is not your own in quotation marks. Your response should be a minimum of 2 full pages, MLA formatted. As always, only PDF or MS Word files are accepted. Topic #1: Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography exemplifies the idea of American Individualism. Throughout his autobiography, Franklin consistently describes instances where his persistent hard work, dedication, study of his own character, and intelligence contributed to making him one of the most successful and famous people in history. Think of an example in contemporary American culture that testifies to the persistence of the myth of the self-made man (or woman). In your response, address the following questions: How do news programs, novels, television shows, and movies perpetuate the contemporary ideal of the self-made individual (ideally, your response should focus around one of these mediums)? What do current figures have in common with Franklin? In what ways are they different? Again, you should focus on one or two figures (or “types” of figures) in order to focus your response. Don’t forget to include textual support! Topic #2: In his efforts to support his arguments for the racial inferiority of black people in Notes on the State of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson famously dismissed the artistic merit of Wheatley’s poetry: “Religion indeed has produced a Phyllis Whately [sic]; but it could not produce a poet. The compositions published under her name are below the dignity of criticism.” Why do you think Jefferson felt compelled to denounce Wheatley in this way? What is at stake in his refusal to “dignify” her poetry with his criticism? Make sure that you are using textual support in your response, either from Wheatley’s poetry, Jefferson’s section on Slavery, or both. Topic #3: Read the handout detailing what is now known about Jefferson’s relationship with one of his slaves, Sally Hemings. Now that DNA tests have proven that he had children with Hemings, and that he held those children in slavery for most of his life, the discrepancy between Jefferson’s belief that “all men are created equal” and the reality of his life as a plantation owner seems even more problematic. How do you feel about this? Discuss in detail in your groups. How does this fact complicate ideals of the enlightenment? Jefferson was by no means untroubled by the question of slavery–he sponsored unsuccessful political action to weaken or end slavery on several occasions and he devised elaborate architectural tricks at Monticello to disguise the slave labor that was foundational to its operations. But despite his discomfort with slavery, he never brought himself to free his slaves, nor did he free them after his death. Make sure you are using textual support in your response!